19th toughest schedule -- could've been much, much worse. If we don't make significant strides this season and come away with seven or eight victories then I'll be truly let down.

For a team with as many difficulties containing the run as we do, that is not the opening game I would've dreamed for. It'll give us a great barometer of where our team is defensively versus as balanced of an offensive attack as the Titans can potentially have on any given week.

Still, a source with knowledge of the situation tells us that, absent a complete meltdown by Campbell, he'll be the Week One starter for the Raiders.

So why is Cable throwing water on the anointment of Campbell? The likely explanation is that Cable is trying to instill a sense of competition in the offseason program and coming training camp. It's also possible that the Raiders want JaMarcus Russell to think that he'd have a chance to keep the job if he agrees to restructure a contract that currently pays him $3 million in guaranteed salary and $6.45 million in non-guaranteed salary.

Regardless, Campbell currently is in line to become the next starting quarterback -- and hopefully to provide the kind of leadership that the offense hasn't enjoyed since Rich Gannon retired.

Every single game on the schedule except the St. Louis one is going to be a fight, I know that much. It could turn out that some of the weaker teams on our schedule turn out to be Denver and KC, but those games are never walks in the park. At worst I think we split our games with those two and I think I'm willing to predict a win against Seattle too. That's 4 wins I'm pretty sure about.

The rest is a toss-up. It all depends on how much we improve and how much the playcalling on both sides of the ball progresses. If it reverts back to old tendencies, we're probably a 5 or 6 win team again.

Heres some news Ive heard. We have no interest in John Henderson so dont get your hopes up. We are waiting for teams to make more cuts then will add another DT. I dont have any DT's off the top my head that are expected to be cut though

Ok, I typically don't like posting on other teams' boards(especially the raiders, most of you being illiterate and all, just kidding). but I think you guys had an amazing draft. McClain, two bookend tackles and legit QB. I wrote Oakland as a split this year for KC, but lilke one of you said, if you get mcfadden to live up to his hype and Cable can coach up his young tackles. I'd be a little worried about the raiders come september.

I was thinking about how Cable has been playing so coy about the defensive plans in Oakland (mostly because reporters keep asking about it). The things we know are that the Raiders plan to show a 4-man base front but that Groves and Wimbley have been referred to as both linebackers and defensive ends on varying occasions and that prior to drafting McClain they were the only defensive additions we had made, making them a fairly good indicator of a new defensive theory.

This is a bit of a shot in the dark, but here's what I think Oakland is planning to do. I think we're bringing back some form of the 46 defense.

It makes too much sense. It won't be a base system, of course, but it'd clear up some confusion about positional remarks by Cable. Putting Houston at LE would suddenly be a necessary decision, since we'd need someone strong enough to anchor that edge and keep runners from breaking outside. It'd also give us a chance to use Mike Mitchell up at the LOS like he was used primarily last season. More importantly, it'd give guys like Scott, Wimbley, and Groves a chance to charge around the edge of the line and disrupt the play. It would, of course, place a ton of pressure on McClain, giving him a similar role to the one Singletary held when the Bears first introduced this defensive look. That said, intellectually and physically, I believe he's totally up to the task.

Once again, I'm not saying this'll be a base look or that it'll exactly mirror the generic 46 defense, but it fits our personnel and would make some sense of why the team went after a bunch of edge rushing linebacker but appeared to make no real effort to draft a 0-tech. Just a thought.

It had never crossed my mind, and with Al Davis and a good majority of the Raiders staff being such appreciators of football lore (like the infamous 46 Bears defense), it probably should have – because on the surface it does make much sense as you have said.

Although I would say that we have as great personnel as anyone to run this defensive scheme, even as a base defense, like the introduction (or reintroduction) of anything perceived to be “new”, it would take some time for everyone around the league to figure out how to stop it. The game is far more sophisticated than it was a quarter century ago, so in saying that, I could not safely bank on it to be successful for a full season.

What makes me believe that this system could be tremendously successful for our personnel, specifically, are the coverage abilities of our LBs. There will certainly be instances where we will line up in the 46 and only rush 3 linemen, dropping 8 back into coverage.

It leads me to begin questioning who the odd man out would be in this formation. I would bet on it being Huff. What I know about the 46 is that the two outside lineman and the lone free safety need to be good open-field tacklers, and I’m not sure Huff is a better fit for that role than Branch. Plus, it would allow for the maximization of Mitchell’s abilities this early in his career, because he isn’t, and may never be able to become, the prototype, well-rounded safety we envisioned when we overdrafted him; up at the LOS is exactly where he should be.

I would say that the use of this system should be entirely dependent on not just the situation, but the personnel of the opposing team. For example, it would be of great use against inexperienced TEs who would need to make instinctual decisions on whom to block, or likewise inexperienced QBs, who may not be prepared to react quick enough versus the added pressure. The head games this defense would pose for young QBs would be absolutely glorious to witness – this is not a scheme I would want to give Peyton Manning or Drew Brees a shot at figuring out.

This may very well be a mere one-year experiment, because once Nnamdi bolts that leaves us with no physical, capable man-to-man corners, which is an absolute necessity for this system to function.

(BOLD - Indicates home games, but might just as well indicate blackouts)

My aunt gave me niner season tix this year (everyone in my family are niner fans - except me - and the season tix pass on to another member of the family each year) and I cant tell you how happy I am that the battle of the Bay will be played at the stick. The only question I have is I went to the last regular season meeting between these two and it was at Candlestick, how come the venue doesn't alternate? Is it because the Niners have to play a 'home game' overseas? Or they want the game to actually sell out?

yes, I will be selling the remaining tix on craigslist, and use the money to buy Raider Tickets.